The cruise ship Carnival Triumph is towed towards Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. The ship with over 1,000 passengers aboard has been idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

The cruise ship Carnival Triumph is towed towards Mobile Bay near...

MOBILE, Ala. - Freedom from the five-day nightmare of a crippled cruise ship came late Thursday night when the Carnival Triumph finally docked and thousands of stranded passengers disembarked.

To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.